Gov’t agencies probe falsified PH papers

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MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has tapped the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and the National Bureau of Investigation in its crackdown on issuing fake birth certificates to foreigners.

The bureau said on Monday it asked the PSA for data on all Filipinos who applied for and were issued birth certificates under the late registration scheme. The information will be cross-checked to see who was also issued Philippine passports.

READ: Solons seek probe into issuance of almost 200 fake birth certificates

Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said they also asked the NBI for the names and other details regarding the 200 falsified birth certificates issued by the civil registry in Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur.

“We must be proactive and thorough in our approach to prevent the misuse of Philippine documents by foreign nationals. This is an issue of national security, and needs to be addressed immediately,” he added.

Tansingco said the BI raised the issue of foreigners obtaining fake birth certificates last year after they recorded at least 10 cases of foreign nationals caught with fraudulently acquired Philippine documents.

“Once they present themselves as [Filipinos], they are already removed from the purview of the BI, which monitors foreigners,” he said.